On Monday, the governing Liberals tabled their first bill of the new session of Parliament. Bill C-39, also called the Building Canada Strong Act, is over 240 pages long and aims to streamline and speed up development approval. It also makes changes to the Canada Labour Code that have upset union leaders.

Bill Curry is The Globe’s deputy bureau chief in Ottawa. He has been covering the new legislation and explains what exactly Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is proposing and what it is willing to sacrifice to boost building in Canada.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Canada has had a system of equalization payments for decades, where money collected by federal income taxes gets distributed to provinces worse off financially than others. It has proven to be controversial in some areas, like Alberta where Premier Danielle Smith has claimed that equalization is a ‘gravy train’ for the rest of Canada through these payments. Members of the Alberta separatist movement have also used this as a reason to push for separation.

But there are a lot of misconceptions about this complicated program. So today, we speak with Patrick Brethour, the Globe’s Editorials editor and former tax and fiscal policy reporter. He’ll demystify the equalization program by explaining how it works, why it’s so controversial, and what he thinks would make it better.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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Canada and the EU are working toward a more integrated partnership. As the relationship with the U.S. becomes increasingly less reliable, Canadians seem to be overwhelmingly in favour of the idea of getting closer to Europe. But what could this partnership actually entail – and how much more would Canada be getting than it has now?

Today, the Globe’s international affairs columnist, Doug Saunders, is on the show. He’ll discuss the geopolitical implications of Carney’s address to the European Parliament, and what shape the relationship could take going forward.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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